On March 3rd, members of the PGA, along with some of their canine companions, traveled the perimeter of Rancho Park in a 5K Walk-a-Thon to honor the memory of the late producer Laura Ziskin. People and pups alike (the Guild indeed has "gone to the dogs”) enjoyed the beautiful SoCal morning, with abundant networking (and sniffing) in evidence. The successful event was created in an effort to raise money and awareness for both "Stand Up 2 Cancer” and the PGA Foundation.

March 3rd was the actual birthday of Laura Ziskin. Prior to the walk, PGA Executive Director Vance Van Petten lead the group of over 100 in a heartfelt rendition of "Happy Birthday.” Ms. Ziskin, who succumbed to cancer in June of 2011, was the co-founder of "Stand up To Cancer,” and the walk was a tribute both to her humanitarian efforts on behalf of the initiative, and to her long and distinguished producing career.

PGA members and guests are excited to hit the road.Photo Credit: Vicente Williams

Many dedicated people made this event the success it was. We’d like to thank Events Committee chair Vicente Williams and Committee member Maureen Dooling who spearheaded the occasion. Further thanks go to committee members Leonard Koss, Daniel Mondschain, Michelle Holt, Karyn Benkendorfer and Rannveig Krokdal. Much appreciation to PGA Green committee member Norman Marcus for setting up recycling bins around the park. And we couldn’t have done it without the extraordinary efforts of the PGA's Director of member Services Kyle Katz. Also, kudos to the wonderful volunteers from Stand Up 2 Cancer, including Madeline Marotto, Rusty Robertson, Mary Pomerantz, and Alexa Konstand. Also, a big shout-out to Michael Kichaven and Doughboys Café & Bakery for donating the yummy baked goods, including their signature Red Velvet cakes and to Heather Stone from Coconut Water for their refreshing beverages.

Finally, the Producers Guild would like to thank all the PGA members and families who attended in support and made contributions to Stand Up to Cancer and the PGA foundation.

Charlie Chaplin. I was always clowning around as a child and Chaplin was my idol. When I realized that he lived a life of luxury in beautiful mansions, with a string of hot wives. I thought, "The only difference between my clowning and his is that he got paid.”

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY?I got paid $50 to perform stand-up comedy at a bar in Ft. Lauderdale. The place was filled with bitter middle-aged people lamenting their woes and they were not in the mood for levity.

HOW DID YOU START OUT AS A PRODUCER?I was working under other producers and often found myself wondering why they were the boss of me and not the other way around.

WHAT LED YOU TO JOIN THE PGA?I tried to join at one point but didn’t have the credits. So I just kept working and a friend on one job (Chris Thomes, who was my boss on last year’s Oscars) recommended I join. By then I qualified and he even sponsored me.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER/COMMITTEE WORK YOU DO FOR THE GUILD?The PGA International Committee’s main purpose is to serve as a window to and from our colleagues across national borders. The best way to do that is to increase the visibility of the PGA and Producers Guild Awards worldwide, to facilitate international networking and co-production opportunities for members and to help find and maximize international tax incentives and other production resources. I’ve only been to a few meetings so far, but we’re hoping to release a poll soon to determine what specific areas PGA members would like us to focus on most.

WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?In addition to producing ABC’s Oscar.com and other sites, I’m putting together a slate of films with the requirement that any project must be sensibly budgeted and eminently commercial. It just seems silly to me that there’s so much cash – worldwide – that companies and individuals are sitting on. I just need to convince enough of them that making movies is a more sensible thing to do with that money than sitting on it or making investment decisions from a fear position. I’m also producing a short video for Beachwood Canyon’s Hollywood Orchard.

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR MOST INTERESTING PROJECTS, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THEM?A Song and a Prayer, the feature film I was involved with. My big take-away from that was to spend the money to have at least one known actor in your film. You can have amazingly talented people in your project (which we did) but you need a cast that will help sell the piece. My other favorite project was Importex, a bi-lingual comedy pilot we shot in Miami. Going back to my hometown to produce a project was an exciting experience. I call L.A. the city of false starts because seemingly perfect opportunities present themselves and then nothing happens. But by the same token, something will come your way that you think nothing of and it turns out to be a really great experience.

Producing entertainment is not always entertaining. The hours are long, personalities can be difficult, and time or money (often both) is limited. But help is available! And it costs nothing, is easy to carry and if used properly, can yield great rewards. I’m talking about humor. Humor is a tool that can be used to many ends: it diffuses stress, helps us adapt to change, reframes problems, smoothes conflicts and brings people together. Because of its many uses, humor is the Swiss army knife of production.

Producer Michael Bridenstine has found that humor is a shortcut to creating community on set. He noted, "When you’re laughing with someone, you have something in common with them.” John Morreall, author of Humor Works, describes laughter as a social lubricant, noting, "Sharing humor builds morale, camaraderie, and team-spirit.” Teamwork is crucial to producing. As Bridenstine observes, "If you don’t have people together, you can’t move forward.”

Creating commonalities can be especially useful when considering the diversity often found among crew members. Producer Jill Demby recalls an occasion when members of her production team were Vietnamese, Chinese and Persian. "The Persian [colleague] came from a big Persian family and she joked about being Persian. This gave me a window into her life.” Humor can spotlight our similarities and minimize our differences. If used effectively, it can make others feel included. One way to do this is to rely more on the utility of self-deprecation rather than outwardly-directed jokes. Allen Klein, author of The Healing Power of Humor suggests a good rule of thumb is to make sure humor is appropriate, timely and tasteful.

Producer Jill Demby

Humor can also be used to keep spirits up on set. Production can demand of lot of rushing around followed by a lot of waiting around. Producer Carrie Certa believes that part of her job is to keep morale high. So she created her "happy dance.” "When I was producing shorts I had 175 people working for free,” she recalls. "I felt I had to give something back. I did that by keeping them entertained. When the energy on set dropped, I did my happy dance and it would help them get happy.” Humor is, after all, a form of play. As Demby says, "You may think it’s not a fun situation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun doing it.”

However, Certa warns, producers must tread a fine line to ensure humor does not get out of control or send the production off-course. For instance, through trial and error she has learned that it’s better to start out being strict on set and then get lighthearted rather than the other way around. This establishes the tone that business comes before play.

Also, since most sets and small production companies don’t have human resource departments, it’s critical that communication, especially humor, is self-managed. Telling jokes that are off-color or offensive is one way in which humor can backfire. Certa recounted, "When people tell dirty jokes, I playfully say ‘All right, you gotta pull it back.’ Then they move on. Or I talk to people one on one. " There are other ways that humor can backfire. Bridenstine confesses that he may have lost gigs or had jobs shortened because he attempted humor that was ill-received or misinterpreted. "I have had a lot of misunderstandings and gotten looks,” he concedes. "[Humor] can get out of people’s hands easily. It can hurt people.” The key, he offers, is to understand your audience, which is a good rule to apply for just about every aspect of producing.

I've always been an avid fan of entertainment. While growing up in Chicago, I watched
tons of television and loved going to the movies. My philosophy has always been ‘love what you do’ and ‘work
at what you enjoy.” Therefore, I always
knew I would somehow be involved in media and entertainment as a career.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB IN
THE INDUSTRY?

My first job in digital media was working as an AP on multimedia
titles for clients like McDonald’s.
Even before the Internet became mainstream, we produced on multiple
platforms. Now that’s become the
norm.

HOW DID YOU START OUT AS A PRODUCER?

I was fortunate and got a little lucky when I was asked to join a
local production team as an AP in Chicago where I happened to be based at the
time. It turned out to be part of
a broader multimedia project which started my career in digital media.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE
VOLUNTEER/COMMITTEE WORK YOU DO FOR THE GUILD?

Over the years, I’ve become more
involved in the PGA and now I’m currently on the board of PGA’s New Media
Council, Vice-Chair of PGA Northwest and Chair of NW’s Screening
Committee. We’re a small but
growing group of producers in Northwest.
In the Bay Area in particular, we have a lot of great talent in new
media especially broadband, mobile and gaming. It’s a very diverse group.

WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU
WORKING ON NOW?

I’m
currently CEO of Xtranormal (www.xtranormal.com), a digital storytelling
company, that allows anyone to create a 3D movie in a few minutes. With Xtranormal, you can pick a set,
pick actors, type a story and instantly create a 3D animated movie. You can use voiceovers to customize
your story or use our text to speech technology to automate the voices. Over 10
million stories have already been created using Xtranormal by amateurs and
professionals including Universal, MTV, The New York Times and Microsoft. It’s
exciting to be part of a
revolution in which people are using technology to create, watch and share
their stories across platforms.

I’m
also involved with ‘The Secret Society of Women’ which I started with TV
journalist Lisa Ling. It’s an
anonymous social media community for women that’s free to join and
participate. We’re currently in a
development deal with a major cable network to explore turning the site into a
TV show. It’s a great integration
of traditional and new media.

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR MOST
INTERESTING PROJECTS, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THEM?

Most
digital media projects are challenging but for different reasons. I learned
early on that creating content online was totally different from traditional
film and television. The audiences
are also often different and how they consume and interact with content is different
online. When it comes to digital
content creation, there is a small set of people who create, but a large number
of participants who watch. These
‘voyeurs’ encourage the creation of other content and help make content
viral. The challenge is to figure
out how to get more people to create and watch and ultimately come back and
participate again.” The key is to make it easy for people to create and
participate. We’re constantly
experimenting with different formats, innovative techniques and dynamic
participation methods to see what works and what doesn’t.

I
also worked on some memorable non-digital projects. Early in my career, we had to film a summer car drive
through scene in the middle of winter in Chicago. We wanted to get the scene shot quickly and under budget so
opted not to have it shot in another city (warmer weather) thinking it would
save on time and budget. It turned
out to be one of the coldest winters in Chicago history so every time an actor
said a line, the cold air would create a frost effect not to mention we could
hear the actors teeth chattering in every take. We ended up having to set up a tent around the entire drive
thru and bring in portable heating lamps, extra lighting and heating pads for
the cast & crew. What did I
learn? It would have cost us less
to fly the entire team to LA and warmer weather than try to create a fake
summer in the middle of a Chicago winter.
Always have a backup plan and never anticipate things will go
smoothly. Something unexpected
will always happen.

We’re happy to report that we’ve had a very successful end of 2011 and beginning of 2012.

November saw the launch of the Employment Committee’s latest venture: CARD SWAP. It’s a networking event targeted to specific parts of the PGA membership and held at unusual and thought-provoking locations to help get the conversation started.

The first Card Swap brought together our logistical PGA members (line producers, associate producers, production managers, coordinators and supervisors.) It was held at the Roberts & Tilton Art Gallery in Culver City – at the time featuring the works of influential LA artist Bettye Saar. A special thanks to gallery owners Julie and Bennett Roberts and gallery director Lindsay Charlwood, who gave us an informative tour of the exhibit.

Card swap at Roberts & Tilton Art Gallery

The next Card Swap was held in January at the new Technicolor Sound facility at Paramount Studios. This event invited the PGA’s post-production members. Special thanks go to Technicolor’s Mark Kaplan and Tricia Linklater for welcoming us with a tour of the state-of-the-art facility.

Everyone stayed long after the tour to network with fellow PGA members. PGA Board member Megan Mascena-Gaspar reported, "Everyone I spoke with felt it was a good balance between facility tour and networking opportunity. AND everything ran smoothly. A stellar event!”

The Employment Committee is committed to finding new ways to help our membership find work, but we are still best known for our Job Forums.

The latest – the Episodic Job Forum – held January 14th – brought more than 90 PGA members together with ten top employers.

We’d like to thank Sunset Bronson Studios for once again providing the location – and we’d also like to extend a very special thanks to all the employers below who gave up their Saturday morning to come and support the PGA and its members.

As a recently joined member, I have been able to take part in a few of the great events that the PGA has put together.

Today was fabulous and a great networking opportunity with not only the employers but the other PGA members that were in attendance as well. I have already been embraced by my new PGA family and just wanted to say THANK YOU.

Joanie Michele – Production Coordinator/Production Manager

Thanks for hosting such a great PGA event today. The producers who came to speak represented a wide variety of shows and were all so open and accessible. And as always, it was a spectacularly well-run event!

Lisa Kors - Producer - New Media.

I want to thank you and every one who made the Episodic Job Forum a success on Saturday.

Chris Lenge - Producer/Editor

None of these events would be possible without the tireless efforts of the Employment Committee members and the PGA office staff – who all worked very hard to pull off these events during the busy award season.

At 5000 members and growing, the PGA is stronger than ever. You can make it even stronger by encouraging your qualified colleagues to join – and by hiring a PGA member for your next production.

Be on the lookout for our next events: a new Card Swap in March and the Non-Fiction Job Forum in April.

Here's to a very healthy, productive year for all of us!

Beverley Ward & Richard MacDonald

Employment Committee Chairs

]]>Thu, 9 Feb 2012 20:56:48 GMTThe 101 of 501(c)http://www.producersguild.org/members/blog_view.asp?id=698182&post=138244
http://www.producersguild.org/members/blog_view.asp?id=698182&post=138244Nonprofit Tips for Producers: All you need to know about starting a 501c3 for your production company.

By Tanja Meding

Not-for-Profit corporations and how they can benefit producers was the topic of the 101 or 501, a panel discussion produced by PGA East Documentary and Employment Committees.

An expert panel provided firsthand experiences and important answers to all things 501(c)(3): legal, accounting and a non-profit organization as a business model, plus how to set up one’s own not-for-profit organization.

The 101 of 501
View the entire panel discussion featuring all the excerpts above and more. Tips for Producers on starting and maintaining a 501c-3 from legal and financial considerations to choosing a fiscal sponsor. (TRT 19:17)

]]>Mon, 6 Feb 2012 17:23:27 GMTPGA at Realscreen 2012http://www.producersguild.org/members/blog_view.asp?id=698182&post=138025
http://www.producersguild.org/members/blog_view.asp?id=698182&post=138025Realscreen Day Three: So You Think You Can Pitch?

By Renee Rosenfeld

Katy Jones in session

Realscreen Day Three opened with PGA on the Hill hosting the Insiders Breakfast for PGA members and delegates attending Realscreen. More than 40 guests listened to insider Elaine Frontain Bryant, Senior Vice President of Non-Fiction Programming at A&E Networks. She gave a frank talk about the development process at A&E, and what the network looks for when commissioning programs: When pitching to A&E bring big characters and high drama because the barrier for entry is entertainment value. The breakfast was organized by National Capital’s Katy Jones.

Sessions ranged from informational sessions with agents to trends in popular genres but the highlight of the Realscreen Summit is the very popular "So You Think You Can Pitch?” a pitching competition hosted by the one and only Howie Mandel. Five brave Realscreen delegates pitched in front of a packed house for a five-minute presentation to be critiqued publically by the panel of judges, including representatives from the National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, NBC & Universal, and CABLEready. While entertaining for the audience, it was certainly informative to hear feedback from the judges as to what they were looking for and why or why not a pitch might work for them.

The most unscripted moment came when Howie Mandel invited a pitch from a would-be producer who attended the Summit decked out in pirate garb to bring attention to his show idea. He was a natural!

The Takeaway: Be sure to lead with your characters and exclusive access - If you are pitching an issue-specific program, be sure to make it personal, and always lead with confidence!

Lynn Hughes recruits prospective members

NPR’s Neda Ulaby was on hand and interviewed several producers including PGA member Evan Marshall about what they were pitching at Realscreen.

PGA members continued to fill us in on their experiences at the Summit. Katy Jones enjoyed a very lively panel discussion from "The Ownership Question: You’ve Got to Fight for Your Rights.” The panel featured Kaki Kirby of Atlas Media Group, Jane Millichip of Zodiak Rights London, Greg Jacobs of Red Bull Media House, Richard Hofstetter of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz and one lone representative of broadcasters, Germaine Deagan Sweet of the National Geographic Channel.

The Takeaway: The more leverage you have as you walk into a business deal, the more room you have to negotiate ownership over the IP, but it’s really vital to be conscious of the value of the rights you want, and not overvalue yourself and your product in such a way as to kill the deal outright. If you are just starting out, you’ll probably need to take commissions as a straight work-for-hire to build up your relationship with the broadcaster. As you have more hits under your belt, you’ll have more leverage, says Greg Jacobs. Jane Millichip stressed the importance of owning the IP on your format, which can be very valuable to a producer. Germaine Deagan Sweet was careful to point out that exclusivity is vital to the broadcaster in building their brand, but that they aren’t in the business of destroying producers—channels depend on producers. The other takeaway: Have your talent signed up BEFORE you walk into a negotiation with a broadcaster.

West Coast’s Harlan Freedman reports that he closed a deal last Friday to become the Head of Development for Leopard Films. Harlan is a seasoned veteran of the Summit. In his view, it’s a great opportunity to build relationships because network players let their hair down. He finds the yearly market very similar to Sundance ten years ago where producers have more access in a fun environment.

Realscreen 14 wrapped up with The Great Original Programming Debate on Wednesday morning. With a "if you don’t own it, clone it” attitude prevailing in non-fiction, the panel agreed that if you live in a derivative world, you must find a way to break through to originality.

Themes of character and story ran throughout all the sessions but the prevailing buzzword was AUTHENTICITY!

PGA on the Hill looks forward to hosting members from around the country at Realscreen 15 in January of 2013. We’ll see you in the Nation’s Capital.

The Realscreen Summit Day Two kicked off with the keynote address by NBCUniversal Entertainment & Digital Networks Chairman, Lauren Zalaznick who delivered a rendition of her tremendously popular 2010 TED Talk. NBCUniversal collected extensive data about why and how audiences respond to certain shows. Her advice to producers: know your business, know your audience and trust your creative instinct.

Reports from PGA Members at RealScreen

Tom Cappello of PGA Southeast had six network meetings and reports that his first meeting with SyFy was a success; execs loved the two shows he pitched.

Evan Marshall, a first-time Realscreen delegate says he’s on a very fast learning curve, learning what the networks want and adjusting pitches on the fly.

Steve Narisi reports that OWN is looking for shows with "intention.” Execs advise that Oprah would ask, "What is the intention of the show? What is its purpose?” They have 200 hours of primetime to fill. Steve notes that they’ll take pitches but prefer you have representation, and that OWN is on the lookout for shows that have experts like Dr. Oz in various topic areas.

Smithsonian is doubling its markets this year, having recently been picked up by Comcast. Smithsonian needs entertaining, informative, factual programs with integrity, and seeks shows that reflect the legendary Smithsonian Museum culture, history, and aerospace.· Mark Cuban owned network HDNet has now partnered with Ryan Seacrest, and will be changing its name to ASX TV. (It seems that the days of bikini-clad women on HDNet are gone, or at least numbered.) The network is moving more toward live events, especially music. The net is still looking for pop culture and lifestyle programs.

Steve Katz and Doug RossPhoto Credit: Kc Schillhahn

Katy Jones reports from The Golden Age of Non- Fiction session that unscripted reality television is here to stay. David McKillop, of A&E finds that characters in non-fiction are often stronger, more entertaining and addictive than invented characters in scripted television. Technology has allowed innovation of storytelling techniques in non-fiction, which as Jane Root points out, is now blurring the line between scripted and unscripted television. But there’s room for all of us as long as the storytelling is strong.

From "In Conversation with David Lyle,” The National Geographic Channel CEO says that their channels are doing well but need to do "weller.” Nat Geo is moving away from their brand name by looking for more character-driven programming with action and sub-culture themes. Lyle wants your fresh ideas and wants to work with production companies that haven’t worked with Nat Geo before, and has outlawed the phrase, "we don’t do that.” Expect him to ask you at the end of the pitch, "What do you have that National Geographic wouldn’t normally be interested in?”

Lynn Hughes reports that it’s no surprise, but programming for men 25-45 is still king.Day two concluded with PGA National Capital’s Happy Hour and Pub Quiz at Fado’s Irish Pub in Chinatown.

Producers and TV executives from around the world began converging in Washington, DC on Sunday for non-fiction entertainment’s largest global market and conference, the Realscreen Summit . Members of the Producers Guild, National Capital Chapter are representing the Guild in full force. The team has set up an information booth ready to sign up new members, and keep everyone current with breaking news and industry insider sightings during the sold-out event.

Delegates were treated to tours of meeting rooms, lounges and workshop venues throughout the Renaissance Washington DC and offered the ultimate networking workshop led by the very entertaining Chris Palmer, Director of American University’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking. Day one was capped off with plenty of libations and schmoozing. The Sunday night event was a new addition to RSS, a nod to the 30% increase in attendance this year. Kudos go to National Geographic Channel for their very green and creative contribution to the gift bags: Nat Geo has equipped delegates with water bottles and hydration stations throughout the conference center to keep the bottles filled.

Realscreen has created a networking nirvana for producers and execs to cultivate programming opportunities. Realscreen Connect provides an online resource to upload HD versions of shows for buyers to screen, a virtual pitching station that operates year round.

This year’s Summit is the largest ever. Of the 2000 delegates, Producers Guild of America members represent nearly 10% of the registration. The next three days promise to unfold with exciting new programming find homes. PGA Members Doug Ross, Katy Jones, KC Shillhahn, Lynn Hughes, Steven Narisi, Dara Padwo-Audick are on site recruiting new members and spreading PGA cheer between pitch sessions, workshops and networking. Follow @PGAontheHill on Twitter for all the action as the deals unfold.

I
came to film from dance, which I studied as a kid. Dance combines performance, music,
choreography, costume design – all the elements for artistic mediums. I no longer dance, but I still love the
process. I watch films and editing to
see how subjects are expressed. I think
of them as dances.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB IN THE
INDUSTRY?

My first job in the industry was in the wardrobe
department on a couple of small indie features. I just wanted to get in at
whatever level I could and start learning the filmmaking process from the
bottom up. Being hyper-organized was key to being a good wardrobe supervisor
and that constant attention to every lapel crease, every striped sock, every
detail has helped make me a better producer.

HOW DID YOU START OUT AS A PRODUCER?

I joined Double Wide Media after earning my
Masters in documentary filmmaking and I was immediately trusted to just
jump in and learn how to produce whatever the company was working on. I think,
again, that knowing about the production process and the art of storytelling
helped steer me towards the producer role. To be honest, there was also a
certain level of creative control that I was interested in obtaining and steering
a project from start to finish is something that I found really suited me. I
learned quickly to be courageous because I always had Don Faller (the owner of Double Wide Media) around to rely on if things got complicated or harried. He
really taught me the ropes by giving me a lot room to do what I thought was
best and he always had my back. It was incredibly freeing. In
2007, I was offered the opportunity to partner with the Editors of GQ to
produce content for GQ.com, their online magazine. One of the first online magazines, highlights included
GQ Rules for topics such as ‘How To Tie A Tie’ and the ‘Verge Girl’ series. The site received 3 Webby nominations and is
still a leading edge online publication.
"We were one of the first sites to take the magazine pages and bring
them to life on the web. We created art
pieces with great editing and music.”

WHAT LED YOU TO JOIN THE PGA?

I joined the PGA about 2 years ago at the suggestion of Don
Faller, Owner and Executive Producer of Double Wide. The East Coast Chapter and the New Media
Council have great meetings, with wonderful networking and screening
opportunities. Participating with other
filmmakers is terrific.

WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?

2010 was really a heavy production year for me and 2011
became the year of premieres and distribution, which then morphed back into
development again -- it's the same ol' cycle. We've created several original
programming opportunities this year and are wrapping up 2011 pitching them to
talent, directors, agents and networks. I'm very excited about them. One project
is a half hour dark comedy called THE NORMS which is a scripted series that
follows a couple of guys in their mid-30s who struggle to be special in a big
city that couldn't care less that their somewhat successful band broke up... 15
years ago. I feel
like it's a little bit ‘Louis’ and a little bit ‘Mr. Show’ if that show's
themes were wrapped in a dark comedy soap opera. And then there's ‘The Flesh’, a scripted genre show that
follows Ava Lone, a young woman who has survived a global viral outbreak, after
she makes it back home to New Mexico looking to start over.

I’m very excited about a new project called ‘Random Fandom’,
to be hosted by Kevin Maher. The idea is
to travel to special-interest conventions and embed with the fans to understand
the cultures. We’ll be starting on TV,
but the digital media elements will be much bigger. We plan to coordinate with all the online
sites and user content possibilities presented by the huge fan bases for these
events. Viewers will watch on their
phones, interact on the TV and consume with additional content wherever it
appears.

WHAT
HAVE BEEN YOUR MOST INTERESTING PROJECTS, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THEM?

I produced a web series about Chicago Bears’ Quarterback Jay
Cutler’s triumph over diabetes on the football field and post-produced a
documentary about New York Knicks’ Tracy McGrady and his trip to Chad to learn
of the Sudanese atrocities in Darfur. In
2008, she post-produced ‘Life For A Child’, another documentary about children
with diabetes set in Nepal. In 2010, she
produced a month-long documentary shoot in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The film focuses on children struggling to survive with juvenile diabetes.

My most recently produced film is ‘Animals Distract Me’
which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by and starring
Isabella Rossellini, this docu-fantasy film explores a "day in the life” of the
animal-obsessed Rossellini. My first feature length documentary, ‘Windfall’, tells the story of
the inhabitants of a small, rural town in upstate New York and their struggle
to decide whether or not to allow industrial wind turbine development amidst
their homes. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 DOCNYC Festival and
premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. The film is scheduled to hit theatres
in New York in February of 2012.

Production allows
you to do a lot of different things. I
love editing, but I can’t do just that.
On smaller productions with a 4-person crew, I am responsible for the
digital media management, interviews, sound
recording and b-roll production, among other roles. Now, I’m doing a lot of great development
work, some on our own and some for other people. And, of course, we’ll marry everything with
the web.

It might sound generic but I think you learn something from
all your projects. Sometimes it's as simple as learning a new camera setup or
it can be as complicated as navigating the psychology of humans who are
just trying to work and create stories together.

Producing a documentary about juvenile diabetes that we
shot for a month in the Congo was truly interesting. Our main concern
was just keeping everyone safe and healthy but then there were complications,
obviously. We couldn't go anywhere without two security guards at all times and
I am usually more accustomed to finding the story out of a certain freedom and
access to your subjects and your surroundings. We had little of that. The fact
that the families we met and who we cared deeply for didn't have money, or
food, or jobs to provide for themselves was an emotional weight added to the 12
hour days in extreme heat. There is a sheer will to survive in Kinshasa that we
can all learn from.

It all goes
back to storytelling and today we have more avenues to tell any story. I like playing that game.

A sell-out crowd of 100 people crammed into the 57th Street Screening Room last month to see four of New York’s leading app producers discuss the current state of the mobile app developer industry and hear the tricks of the app store trade at the PGA New Media Council East’s ‘Producing Killer Apps: What Producers Need to Know Before They Go Mobile’ event. Part of PGA NMC East’s successful salon series (now in its 7th season), the event featured two members of the NMC East executive committee – Fuzz Productions’ Bradley Glenn and Hearst Magazines’ Julia Schulhof – as well as Gilt Groupe’s Chris Gonzalez and CNNmoney.com’s Jeff Frese.

PGA NMC East member, and Hearst director of mobile, Julia Schulhof

Bradley Glenn discussed the agency side of the mobile app business, showcasing some of Fuzz Productions’ recent work for Jay-Z’s ‘Decoded,’ as well as the Pat LaFrieda app for the popular meat expert, and the Preplay app for NFL fantasy football. Bradley discussed the wireframe as the "script and storyboard” for mobile apps, and how keeping it simple for the mobile interface will yield better results for app producers. Julia Schulhof discussed the trajectory of her career in mobile, which started with work on behalf of a science TV producer and led to CondeNet, the digital arm of Conde Nast. She showed how Hearst is getting solid traction from its investments in mobile apps, and discussed how she works with her development team to create apps under stringent deadlines.

Chris Gonzalez dazzled the audience with live demos of the Gilt Groupe app, which has to appeal to a rabid audience of daily deal-buyers. Jeff Frese demonstrated the CNNmoney.com app, and discussed the considerations of a mobile producer creating a mobile version of a popular web site.

The panelists dispensed solid advice on how to work with the app stores, what technical resources were best for porting mobile apps, and how to promote apps. The PGA New Media Council East was thrilled to host these experts in the field, and looks forward to holding further such thought-provoking events through its continuing salon series.

KickStarter.com
is unique way to fund creative ideas providing independent producers with a
novel way to finance films. Called
"crowdfunding,” Kickstarter.com allows creators to procure financial contributions
online from multiple donors simultaneously.

The way it works
is that a producer determines the total amount of money she intends to raise
and how long it will take. This decision
is critical because she must receive this total in funders’ pledges to be
considered successful and to collect all the pledged donations. If the pledges total less than the goal
amount, she gets none of the money.

PGA member Gayle
Kirschenbaum raised $50,000 toward her feature documentary, My Nose: The Bigger Version, this way. One hundred ninety eight backers made
pledges in denominations from $1 to $10,000. In return they received sundry incentives including family
therapy, designer haircuts, and patron credits on the film. The more they gave, the more
illustrious the incentive.

Here are
excerpts from my conversation with Gayle in October:

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO RAISE MONEY FOR YOUR FILM USING KICKSTARTER.COM?

This was a
personal film which doesn’t fit the personality of a grant. I had to tailor it to fit me. I love communicating with the
public. When I did an indie with
my dog, I put up a website and a diary and newsletter and I had a contest. I love having direct contact with the
public.

HOW DID YOU PUT THE CAMPAIGN TOGETHER?

I had 3-4
interns helping me: one for social
marketing, one to find partners, and one for graphics. I knew that the campaign had to be in my
voice so I shelved everything else for three months. I planned the video, campaign page, and one minute
trailer. I came up with the new
content.

WHAT HAPPENED?

We put up the
campaign and I sent my first email to my email list. I raised $4,000 in 4 days. Then it was dead.
I started a pity party. But
that’s not a good place to be.
It’s all about your attitude.
I started listening to "The Power” by Rhonda Byrne. It filled my engine with positivity. I got into feeling gratitude and
love. I could be grateful for what
was coming in. It was a spiritual
practice. I didn’t know how
emotional it would be.

WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR PGA MEMBERS?

I am happy I
made a higher goal. It’s the same
amount of work as making a lower goal.
I wouldn’t do it in the summer because people are on holiday. I would make it 60 days or 45 days
[instead of 90 days] to create more urgency.

Think about what
makes you special-the angle of why people would want to give. The key is to communicate
gratitude. Get into the head of
"What can I give the donors?”

I heard "Gayle,
it’s a bad time” over and over.
The fact is you’re dealing with more people. You’re building your community. I no longer feel bad about asking for money because it was a
vehicle for me to give something to people.

On Friday, December 16, the PGA East hosted its annual holiday party at the new and exclusive Club 15W in downtown SoHo. The weather outside was frightful, but members still came in droves to mingle and warm themselves by the "convivial fire.” Members enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and an open bar of wine and cocktails, complimentary of Terra Fossil Wines and SVEDKA.

Photo by Andrew White

Jennie Bourne of the New Media Council conducted impromptu interviews, asking members, "What do you love most about the PGA?” The range of answers varied from this year’s innumerable PGA East screenings and events to the Guild’s unparalleled access to networking resources. But most of all, members voiced their gratitude for the Guild’s undying support and sense of community. In the words of PGA Member Trilby Schreiber, "What I love about the PGA is that it’s an amazing group of active, positive, energetic, go get ‘em, never say no, never say die, never give up, people!”

Take a look at our holiday party video via VIMEO, entitled, "PGA East Holiday Party.”

The PGA East would like to thank Club 15W, Terra Fossil Wines, and SVEDKA for their generous contributions.

First, let me disclose that as this was my first year attending the West Coast PGA Holiday Party (held, as always, at the Luxe Hotel), I had nothing to compare the experience to. That being said, I was impressed. The event was realized in true traditional holiday spirit: a time to come together, have fun, re-connect with familiar faces, as well as meet some new ones.

Photo By Michael Q. Martin

Down to the smallest details, the party provided each PGA Member with a quality experience. The wine, provided by Rob Mondavi, Jr.’s ONEHOPE winery in Napa, CA was as deserving of praise as the causes they donate to. The catered food buffet was delicious. The outdoor photo booth (provided by Creative Handbook) allowed even the quietest producers to let loose and be wacky with their colleagues. And, the psychic fortune teller, Ellen Magdalena Fornaro, added to the amusement as many members, immediately after check-in, rushed to be the very first to sign up to see how their upcoming projects would fare.

The prize drawing was full of intriguing packages varying from a pack of electronic cigarettes (provided by The SafeCig), Cirque du Soleil IRIS tickets at the Kodak, Toys from LES DÉGLINGOS, two weeks of a GM loaner vehicle, and a two night stay at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, and JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort and Spa. Sadly, I did not win any of these.

Photo By Michael Q. Martin

Of course, what would the night be like without casino games? It was exciting to see Hawk Koch and Mark Gordon, among others, at the tables dealing blackjack to our members. With poker, blackjack, and roulette tables a plenty, it could have easily been mistaken for a PGA Holiday Vegas Party. And the prizes to the largest winners did not disappoint, including Produced By Conference passes, PGA Golf tournament rounds, and a set of poker chips. Each winner was also given a week of a GM loaner vehicle as well. So, it seems that in keeping with the Holiday theme, even the PGA Holiday party was complete with wonderful presents for its members.

At the end of the evening, PGA members were given a novelty stuffed animal to remember this PGA Holiday Party… and why shouldn’t they remember it? Coordinated by the PGA Events Committee(with special kudos to co-chairs Salvy Maleki and Vincente Williams) and executed by dozens of PGA volunteers and staff, I believe the event left producers wanting to stay just a little bit longer and hoping next year’s party comes just a little bit sooner.

It was certainly a night not to be missed!

Ryan Willis is an aspiring producer and former PGA Intern (Spring 2010)

I got my start in new media in 1992 by using 3D animation
and modeling software for engineering projects. Interested in different applications in medicine,
architecture, city planning and entertainment, I left my career as an engineer
to work as a consultant in the emerging business of real time 3D
applications. I wanted to
see where the world of visualization and real time immersive interfaces was
going. As I started to learn about
it, I realized I knew more than most of the people in the field.

WHAT
WAS YOUR FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY?

I worked on my own for 14 years as a consultant and
producer. My practice evolved into expertise in real-time character animation
and motion capture, which got me a VP job with Motion Analysis. They hired me to visit locations in
North and South America to bring their motion capture technology into a variety
of production facilities. Motion
Analysis built and designed their own high fidelity motion capture systems, and
we sold them to TV and film producers, and game/interactive entertainment
studios worldwide.

HOW
DID YOU START OUT AS A PRODUCER?

In 2000, I created a digital co-host for Martin Short for
the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences annual awards event at the Los
Angeles Biltmore Bowl – the first live, virtual co-host of a live awards
show. Over the years, I worked
with client The Jim Henson Company evolving the HDPS, a completely motion
capture- and performance-driven real-time CG animation system. They put together the most
sophisticated virtual character live production system in existence. Puppeteers used the technology to
drive a virtual character's facial animation and voice, rather than a physical
puppet. Body performers in Motion
Capture suits worked in concert with the puppeteers. When it matured, the
system was used to produce Sid, The Science Kid a Jim Henson/KCET
collaboration TV show that won numerous awards.

WHAT
LED YOU TO JOIN THE PGA?

I hadn’t heard of the PGA, but my role as
Executive Producer of fastpitch remote broadcasting efforts got me the credits
to join in 2005, under the urgings of my PGA sponsor Julie Klein. I went to screenings and
workshops and stayed connected.

CAN
YOU TALK ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER/COMMITTEE WORK YOU DO FOR THE GUILD?

I
got involved with the PGA Camera Assessment Committee, in its early evolution,
and I would like to continue being involved with PGA-related Committee work in
the future, where my skills and 20 years entertainment industry experience can
be utilized appropriately.

WHAT
PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?

On August 26th, 2010, everything changed for me
as a result of a horrific car accident.
With 27 broken bones, 2 collapsed lungs, and a bruised heart, among
numerous other complications, I
spent 64 days in a trauma center in Phoenix, then another 52 days at Kaiser
Hospital in Hollywood, followed by 100 days at the Hancock Park Rehabilitation
Center in LA. I'm still in a wheelchair. My job went away while I recovered. Fourteen months later, the job is gone and I’m looking to
ease back into my next professional position. I’m a PGA member still and I still produce the Fastpitch
World Championships. This year I
was inducted into the International Softball Congress Hall of Fame during this
year's annual World Championship event.

WHAT
HAVE BEEN YOUR MOST INTERESTING PROJECTS, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THEM?

I was an early proponent and evangelist of performance
animation before anyone knew what it was.
I was experimenting with it back in 1993. Now it’s on the big screen and it’s fabulous. Avatar was a brilliant movie, but it
was disappointing in the way that the PR people made it seem like Cameron
invented all the technology. He
gave us a modern vision and now Tintin is pushing it further. The movie
includes one continuous 10-minute cut of an escape from a city that’s totally
breathtaking.

It isn’t often that in
one evening Norman Lear, Justin Timberlake and a water-free urinal share the
stage but that’s exactly what happened at the 21st Annual
Environmental Media Awards, which celebrates outstanding achievement within the
entertainment and environmental communities.

Timberlake was just one
of the many recipients being honored for their environmental contributions
including PGA Green, which received the Green Production Award for promoting
sustainable production practices–namely through the creation of PGAGreen.org
and GreenProductionGuide.com. TheProducers Guild of America's Green Initiativewas
introduced in 2009 as a direct response to PGA members who voiced the need for
additional information on how to best produce more sustainable productions.

Co-founded in 1989 by the
legendary producer Norman Lear, the Environmental Media Association mobilizes
the entertainment industry in educating people about environmental issues. Their
annual event recognizes environmentally conscious artists, films, TV programs
and products including the aforementioned toilet, The Falcon waterfree urinal, saves
over 40,000 gallons of water per unit annually. It’s these kind of innovative
products and services that are listed in the GreenProductionGuide.com and can
help your next production be greener.

The
Green Production Guide is a user-friendly website where members of the entertainment
industry can access a vast global database of vendors that offer sustainable or
environmentally sensitive services and products. Currently, more than 2,000
vendor listings are available, referred by producers and production
representatives who had positive experiences with products and services on past
productions.

In
accepting their EMA Reality TV award, the producers of "Green Home 2011” on
HGTV mentioned their use of the Green Production Guide and the PGA Green Unified Best Practices Guide. "We
had our crew carpool to the set, used actual dishes at craft services and
catering that we'd wash and bring back the next day. We felt like we were
practicing what we preached instead of just doing a show about green," noted
producer Loren Ruch.

It’s this
implementation of the guide throughout the industry that led the Environmental
Media Association to honor PGA Green with its inaugural Green Production Award.

Vance Van Pettenand
PGA Green Chairs Lydia Dean Pilcher and Fred Baron accepted the award on behalf
of the entire committee. Van Petten stated, "In the more than 10 years I’ve
served as the PGA’s Executive Director, there’s nothing I’m more proud of than
they way our members have risen to meet the challenge of climate change.”

Golf. Sailing. Hauling dirt. What do these 3 things have in common? I’m glad you asked!

5am on Saturday came too quick. I had to get to the Starbucks in Long Beach by 7 to make it to the build site by 745 - the first 20 miles of driving was mentally pretty foggy. 2 boxes of coffee, a bunch of muffins and bagels and I was off to the build site.

I didn’t know much about Habitat for Humanity before then. Here’s what they do and why they do it: Habitat builds houses for qualifying families, which is one that needs some housing help and can make the mortgage payments on the house once it’s finished. Habitat calls it ‘a hand up and not a hand out’ which sounds good to me. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man how to drive a nail through a fish with a high-powered nail gun and you’ll get a good photo. Every family that is accepted into the program has to work 500 hours at a Habitat property - often at the home they’ll be living in - building ‘sweat equity’. A normal workweek here in the States is 40 hours (not for us hard working producers but we’re special) so over the year it takes to build a Habitat house the owners are certainly putting in their time.

We got hats. Brand new PGA Green Committee baseball hats and a cup of coffee and we were split up into teams. I was put on landscape because I guess they didn’t want me inside the house. Our team’s job was to level the front yard so we could put some plants in. It had been over 12 years since I last touched a wheelbarrow for either business or pleasure (don’t ask). Everybody grabbed a shovel and started filling them up so R.J. Hume and I became ‘Dirt Removal Team Alpha’ (our own name). The first half of our day: Fill the wheelbarrow, wheel it to the dump, lift it with R.J., dump the dirt, repeat.

At the start of the workday we had a group prayer. Habitat for Humanity is a faith-based organization and all faiths are welcome. I had a moment of surprise when I realized that during the prayer all 24 PGA producers weren’t talking! I’m sure that’s some sort of record.

That day we painted, cut tile, sawed wood, dug, planted, hauled stuff, and used muscles that at least for me had been dormant and un-flexed for too long. And the best part? We were there not because we had to be, or because we were getting paid for it, or because we expected anything from it. We were there because a family of 5, who had been living in a one bedroom apartment for years (mom, dad and 3 sons in 700 square feet), now would get to live in a house that they applied for, worked hard to help build and will be responsible for the upkeep and payment for once they move in. With all the partisan politics, economic troubles and other daily struggles we all face, simple acts like helping someone build their house is about as gratifying as you can get. As producers, most of our careers are spent talking – talking about projects, creating excitement, generating funding, casting – you get it. I don’t think I’ve talked less in a day than on the build with Habitat, and there is a good feeling that comes with the tactile experience of creating a home that kids will laugh in.

So, to answer the question at the top of this article: what does golf, sailing and hauling dirt have in common? Find out for yourself by volunteering for a day with Habitiat for Humanity. (and then go golfing and sailing).

If you would like to see more pictures from the PGA Habitat for Humanity, go to our Facebook Page.

Thank you to our Sponsor Safecig for making this year’s build possible. For more information about Safecig, go to www.thesafecig.com.

As a producer I often find myself in situations that, in many ways, feels like gambling. I’m taking a chance and going all in on whether my new show is going to sell. I’m betting that my budget estimate will be on target or else I’m going to be busted out… at least that’s how it feels, sometimes.

On Sunday, October 16, the PGA held its 4th annual Poker Tournament at Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles. The turnout was exceptional. We had more than 150 members and guests attend the event and over 90 players participate in the tournament itself.

This year we wanted to shake things up a bit by creating a themed event so we went with the "Rat Pack”… Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. (the classics). We had music from the era playing in the background; adding in the sound of shuffling cards and clacking of the poker chips made for one helluva great experience.

Photo By Michael Q. Martin

LA has some of the best food trucks in the country and we got them: Shrimp Pimp, Holy Aioli and Sugerbaby’s Cupcakes rocked the house. The Dealer Dolls educated and got many of us warmed up before the tournament.

We could never pull off an event of this magnitude without our paid sponsorships. Taking the top platinum spot was a company called "TheSafeCig”… a great alternative to quit smoking. The gold goes to one of our favorite sponsors; "Culver Studios”. Two newcomers to the race are "CET Universe” taking the silver and "PES Payroll” taking the bronze sponsorship.

In addition to the paid sponsors we would like to thank companies that donated services and materials: Universal Studios Prop Department donated our Rat Pack themed décor, GDC Technology for the awesomely huge gift bags and to Premiere Entertainment for all the yummy drinks.

Without the help and continued dedication of sponsors like these, guild events like this could not happen.

The PGA events committee has some of the most dedicated members in the organization. We would like to recognize those hwo helped us put this event together: Maureen Dooling, Giselle Rivera, Kristine Lacey, Elizabeth Hitt, Eve Watterson, Deen Dioria , Rikki Hughes, Kimberly Austin, Logan Stein, Craig Erpelding, Kathy OConnell, Norman Marcus and Michael Martin

Photo By Michael Q. Martin

The PGA would like to congratulate the winners on their valiant efforts. We had last year’s returning champion Dan Abrams take the title once more. In addition to our first-ever two-time champ, the final table included: Kyle Leonard (2nd), Jonathan Watson (3rd), Tom Dean (4th), Darryl Harris (5th), Tom Whelan (6th), Carl Nielson (7th), Randall Smith (8th) and Mary Jaras (9th)

Marko Albrecht’s immediate challenge is time management. He’s a new father of twins, founder of his own digital ad agency and documentary filmmaker. Life is good.

He always wanted to be a producer. After creating short videos and films throughout childhood, he interned at the Filmworkers Club in Chicago at 18. A soccer scholarship to Long Island University in Brooklyn got him hooked on the energy of New York. "Just out of college, I met a producer on an airplane who is now Creative Director at USA. He saw something in me and brought me to TRIO where I worked as an AP in On-Air Promos until they went off air in 2004.I then worked a variety of gigs the next few years at Style, Current TV and on feature films.”

Albrecht moved to New Jersey when he got married in 2006 and briefly joined the commercial real estate firm, RJ Brunelli.Soon, he was back in media and started a nightlife webseries that profiled nightclubs and DJs across the USA. With millions of views and revenue share on YouTube, the web series was a success, but the topic just wasn’t compatible with his lifestyle. He cancelled the show, but it taught him how to use video as a branding and online marketing tool. In 2007, he started Essential Creative, a Woodbridge, NJ based boutique ad agency that specializes in social media marketing, digital production and branding.

"Essential generally works with 3-4 clients at a time in order to give each brand the attention it truly needs. Our client Muscle Maker Grill grew from 14 to 50 locations across the country in the 2 years we have worked together.We constantly adapt our social media marketing and media consulting to fit their growth. Essential recently won a Telly Award for our online commercial for client SSP Nutrition. I’m a dual citizen of USA and Finland, so we have worked with Finnish companies MultiTouch and Bublaa on their launches into the USA.”

Albrecht relishes the diverse skill set needed as an entrepreneur. "I had to learn everything because I needed to do it all myselfat first. All the technical skills as well as the creative process. My favorite part is to come up with the vision for a brand and see it through. It’s a beautiful thing to see an idea come full circle to reality.” His company has a small staff, including young video editors/shooters that Albrecht finds and mentors. "I wanted to work with younger kids to give them a start. They are amazingly skilled at a very early age. They’re naturally comfortable with all things digital.”

In today’s world, it’s hard to offer just one service – Albrecht knows he has to be ready to do it all.One of the key things about being a producer is that, even if you don’t know how to do something, you learn and adapt to what needs to be done.

"The most exciting thing in my life right now is fatherhood,” he shares. It’s changed everything. I’m also passionate about a personal project, a documentary about my Mom. She passed away when I was 16. Mom was an artist and writer who emigrated from Finland. Her story deserves to be told.”

Albrecht joined the PGA early in his career. "The PGA has been a great asset to me and my company. The people I meet are amazing. The Producers Guild Awards and Produced By Conference are great events. It’s wonderful to be part of an elite society and have instant credibility because of it. New Media Council members have been mentors and partners in projects. The diversity of the membership is perfect for me. Finding good people is key and the PGA can help. A talented network expands your capabilities.”

Question of the Month: What’s the most exciting innovation happening in the industry today?

"Social media changed the way that businesses and marketers associate with their customers and fans. You must be transparent. It’s the only way to be successful today. You can’t get the results you want by just running a TV commercial anymore. It’s changed so fast and we’re all learning.”

"Also the advancement of equipment is astounding. For example, new DSLR cameras allow you to create a super high-end look on almost any budget.”

"Whether you produce films or manage clients, if you’re not working with social media, you’re dead in the water.”

Members of the Digital 25 discuss the industry and the future of digital entertainment in this exclusive PGA video.

On October 17, the PGA and Variety hosted the annual Digital 25 event in Marina Del Rey, honoring the visionaries, innovators and producers doing the most exciting work in the digital space today. With everyone from Pixar’s John Lasseter to The Guild’s Felicia Day to host Illeana Douglas in attendance, the Digital 25 remains one of the most unique and exclusive venues for new media storytellers to gather, celebrate, and share ideas about the future of entertainment.

If you haven’t noticed, the summer’s biggest blockbusters come to you in pretty familiar forms. It seems that we can’t help but to tool, tinker and putter in order to create the latest and greatest thing based on the last latest and greatest thing you saw a few years ago.

Welcome to the age of the ‘reboot’. Can there be a superhero franchise film these days that doesn’t go through this rebirth every few years? Yes, what is old or waning from our memory is new again. With that in mind, welcome to our own ‘reboot’ of the Networker!

So many things have changed and evolved with our little member newsletter since it was created in 2002. However, the one thing that is consistent is our commitment to showcase our extraordinary members and numerous activities that represent the PGA. Now that we’ve grown to over 4,500 members covering three councils and a growing national presence with three established regions and more on the way, we think it’s time to refocus our mission and expand our content in new and exciting ways. As you’ll see, we’re embracing interactivity in this online format and we’ll have the ability to post comments and get direct feedback from all of our readers. We also look forward to posting video content soon and encourage all of the membership to upload videos and photos that they’ve taken at guild events as well. We’re really making great strides to create a robust and well-trafficked online PGA community.

If you haven’t been participating in PGA sponsored events, seminars or committees, now is your chance to be part of this wonderful and vital organization. All you need to do is show up! To this day, I’m still surprised by the number of folks who don’t participate in our committees or soak in the vast amount of programming we do. From my experience, the best way to network in our business is to get involved. Hopefully, after reading our new online newsletter, you’ll want to get involved.

The Networker is also pleased to have one of our old friends back, Steven Lenchner. Steven and I started The Networker and I’m thrilled he’s returned to help launch this new chapter online.

Thank you for your patience and continued interest in The Networker while we’ve been retooling. We’re eager, especially in this transformative stage, to hear from you. Let us know what you think and what you’d like to see in the weeks and months ahead. We look forward to providing new ways to keep you informed, updated, and involved with the PGA!